the big day
by snowsbazed
Summary: short stories about percy and annabeth's wedding! also available on wattpad ao3 [user: snowsbazed]
1. proposal

**prologue**

[percy]

Percy's hands wouldn't stop shaking.

It wasn't that big of a deal, he told himself. At that point, a proposal was just a formality. People always told them they'd been arguing like an old married couple since they were 12, and well, Tartarus bonded them for life. Annabeth would never be able to get away from him no matter how much he annoyed her. Yes, it was true, they were pretty much already married.

Then why was he so fucking nervous.

"Your anxiety is giving me anxiety," Nico muttered in a very-Nico attempt at encouragement.

"Thanks, man. Sorry this is stressing you out."

"Just try to not project the bad vibes everywhere," he responded, clearly not picking up on the sarcasm.

"Oh, get out of here," Will Solace scolded his boyfriend, shooing him away.

Nico shrugged, giving Percy one last reassuring squeeze. It meant a lot considering Nico's idea of reassuring was usually an awkward thumbs up from the corner of a room.

"You're gonna do great," Will told him. "And after dating you for six years, she probably doesn't expect too much, so you're already overachieving by actually planning something!"

Percy stuck out his tongue, pushing Will out of the dining pavilion. It made sense to propose to her in the place where they had their first real moment. Despite not being the place where they shared their first kiss, Percy preferred Camp Half-Blood over the interior of a volcano. Much less ashy.

The only people left behind him were Grover and Jason. He turned to face them, giving them a nervous and not-at-all convincing smile. Jason laughed,

"It's gonna be fine, bro. What are you worried about, that she'll say no?"

Now that Percy thought about it, he was right. The chances that Annabeth said no were the same chances that he would become the next Einstein. Unless she did and the grief caused by her rejection led to him pouring all that he had left in him into becoming the smartest guy alive. Gods, she was gonna say no, wasn't she.

Grover grabbed his hand, "It's gonna be alright, brother. She can't say no, you've already annoyed her to the point that if you leave her alone, she'll probably go through some major withdrawal."

That got a laugh out of Percy. Having Grover and Jason with him was comforting, it was great to know that after all these years his friends would stick by him. But once Thalia and Clarisse brought Annabeth up to the pavilion, he would be on his own. It was up to him not to fuck up.

"Keep it simple," Frank had told him just days before.

He'd spent weeks in the planning phase, going through different ideas each one more extravagant than the previous. After the nighttime water show suggestion, he realized he just needed to be himself. Which sucked because then he couldn't ask _other people_ how to be himself. Percy finally settled on something laid back but meaningful:

A blue misshapen cupcake made by none other than the cake boss Mr. Tyson himself. And adorning this disaster of an unusually pigmented baked good was a pearl wedding ring.

Because pearls were easy for a son of Poseidon. And Percy was the fresh-out-of-college variety of broke. A fantastic time in his life to get married.

"Ok, ok, they're coming!" Jason whispered excitedly.

"You got this, Perce. I love you man," Grover said, pulling him into a hug.

"After dealing with us for ten years, I think you deserve to make the proposal."

He laughed, "Nice try. Already been through it. Now it's your turn, Kelp Head."

His best friends gave him a thumbs up before running toward the woods so they could get a perfect view of Percy's major fuckup of a proposal in hiding. He took a deep breath, hiding the cupcake in a box and placing it under one of the tables. He sat himself down on the closest one facing the cabins, awkwardly shifting positions multiple times in an attempt to appear natural. Well, as natural as you could get in a camp setting wearing a full suit.

She _definitely_ wouldn't suspect a thing.

After five full agonizing minutes of waiting, he heard voices coming up toward the pavilion. Percy took multiple deep breaths, but there just wasn't enough air. _Huh_, he thought, _I guess that's how Jason feels when I dunk him underwater for minutes at a time for the sake of my own humorous pleasure_. Snap out of it!

"Stop complaining!" Clarisse snapped, though he could hear the smile in her voice.

"I just don't understand why you forced me into a dress just for a meeting with Chiron! I don't need to dress up nice just to get my points across! This is supporting the patriarchy-"

"Shut up already, Annabeth!" Thalia said, unable to contain her laugh.

_That's my girl_.

At last, they shoved her into view, prompting Percy to stand up in a totally normal and unrevealing way. Thalia gave him a thumbs up and Clarisse a genuine, heartfelt middle finger before they both headed in the same direction as Grover and Jason.

"You're not Chiron," she said with a grin. "You smell kind of like the horse part though."

He rolled his eyes, grabbing her hand, "Real funny. Sit with me, Wise Girl."

Percy led her to the same table they had sat exactly six years ago following the Battle of Manhattan. Now, they had been through two major prophecies, walked through literal hell, also known as college, and Tartarus. Annabeth was always there.

"I thought _I_ was the one supposed to do the surprise for your birthday, Seaweed Brain. You don't turn 22 every day, you know."

"Isn't that a lyric from a Taylor Lautner song?"

She winced, "So close, sweetie. So close. But really, what's up?"

Percy closed his eyes, taking one final deep breath. He could do this. He took both her hands into his own, looking deep into her eyes in the most non-creepy way he could manage.

"Annabeth Chase, I love you. Like, a lot. You are my reason for living and the best thing that has ever happened to me. You are my best friend. Everything I do in my life is for you. When I was alone and didn't have anything, the only thing I remembered was you. I will never forget your smile, your cute little dimples, those gorgeous grey eyes.

You are my everything. And I want to spend the rest of my life by your side kicking ass-"

Percy got down on one knee, praying to all the gods his pants wouldn't split. Thankfully, he pulled out the box from under the table smoothly, opening it in a swift fashion that made him look well-prepared. Under the torchlight and setting sun, the pearl glowed beautifully. Or maybe Poseidon was just doing him a solid. She gasped.

"-Annabeth Chase," Percy smiled, hoping he wasn't crying as hard as he thought he was. "_Wise girl_, will you marry me?"

"You crybaby," she sobbed, grabbing his free hand. "Of course I'll marry you!"

For the first time in a long time, he laughed a real, bright laugh. Taking out the ring, he carefully placed it on her finger before lifting her up and giving her a million little kisses all over her gorgeous face. They were both crying, but Percy never felt happier.

Somewhere from his right, someone screamed, "SHE SAID YES!"

Suddenly the entire camp was running up from multiple directions, led by none other than Tyson and the Stoll brothers. Campers from when he was a camper all the way up to demigods who came just last week were cheering for them like they had known each other a lifetime.

Travis and Connor came up on either side of Percy, patting him on the back, "You best hold that ring tight, Annie. You already _know_ what happens now!"

Annabeth laughed, taking off her shoes. Percy did the same, turning to Tyson who was crying uncontrollably.

"Love the cupcake, big guy."

"Proud of you, brother. _My_ brother is married!"

Percy had to admit it, that made him cry even more than he already was. He was alive, he was healthy, he had all his memories, and he was getting married to the love of his life. Nothing could ruin that moment for him.

The campers corralled around the couple, lifting them up onto their shoulders just as they had six years prior.

"Man, you guys are much heavier this time," Connor grunted, but he was grinning madly.

Annabeth scoffed, "You're just out of shape."

The campers screamed with delight, with Travis pushing himself toward the front of the group.

"To the canoe lake!" he shouted, the crack in his voice evident. "Somehow you dipshits made it six more years and I couldn't be prouder! Now run, my little imbeciles! Run!"

Everything was perfect. Apologies to the last underwater kiss, but Percy was certain that _this_ was truly the best underwater kiss of all motherfucking time.


	2. proaulia,,, girls

**pre-wedding**

annabeth

The day was here. Annabeth was about to get married. How the fuck was she about to get married.

"Oh my gods," she whispered to herself in the mirror.

There she stood, messy hair, no makeup, no dress. By the end of that day, August 14, she would be married to the love of her life.

No, she remembered. That was wrong. They were having a traditional Ancient Greek wedding, an event that lasted three days. She would be married tomorrow. Today was her proaulia, the pre-wedding. If she were living thousands of years ago, today would be the last day she would see her female relatives (spoiler alert: she didn't have any) and friends. Unfortunately, since she was living in the twenty-first century, she would have to see Piper and Thalia again every day, probably for the rest of her life.

"Good morning, Miss Bride!" Piper giggled, bursting into her room. "Are you ready for your proactive?"

"It's proaulia, dumbass," Annabeth laughed, turning away from the mirror.

Sunlight streamed into the room, which was nearly empty, excluding the boxes that held her belongings. She would finally move out of Piper's apartment into one with Percy tomorrow, per tradition.

"Well, whatever it is, it happens in t-minus twelve hours, so let's get a move on, Ladybeth!"

Piper was finally accepting her Daughter-of-Aphrodite heritage, designating herself as the self-proclaimed wedding planner and beauty stylist. Unfortunately, she clearly had no idea what she was doing.

"I can't even imagine how the boys are handling themselves without me," she said to Annabeth as she searched for a suitable outfit.

"Pipes, do you even know where we're _going_ tonight?"

Piper picked up a paper from her messy bed, examining it.

"According to this, we are going to the bride's father's house for a feast where we cut your hair and dedicate stuff to Artemis, mi madre, and Athena, so yo madre," she said proudly.

"My dad lives in San Francisco. This is New York. And it's tu madre, not yo."

"That's why I took French," she grumbled, throwing the paper down. "And I don't suppose _you_ know where we're going, Ladybeth."

"Camp Half-Blood, dining pavilion, 7 pm sharp. So it's actually t-minus 10 hours, Miss I-Know-Everything."

That sent Piper into a frenzy. Despite denying it for years, she was slowly becoming more and more like her crackhead of a mother. Annabeth couldn't even imagine the psychotic break that would occur during her and Jason's wedding someday.

Around noon, Hazel, Reyna, Thalia, Rachel, Calypso, Clarisse, and Will arrived. Each one more underprepared than the next. It didn't take long to explain why Piper and Annabeth had three hours to get ready before the rest arrived, yet had not completed a single thing.

"Got caught up with High School Musical The Musical The Series," Piper told them seriously. "Lots of pausing in between to compare Ricky and Percy. Unfortunately, Percy will never be up to par with Ricky due to his inability to sing."

"Thanks for sharing, Beauty Queen," Thalia said, tossing a makeup bag right in her face. "You have eight bare faces that need to be fully makeup-ified and dressed by 7 tonight. Compare and contrast while you blend."

And so began seven hours of foundation, occasional crying, and hourly announcements from Will.

"I'd just like to state that I am not here as the stereotypical Gay, for example, Kurt Hummel, that only hangs with the girls. I'm just here to make sure that nobody gets hurt, and none of your outfits make me want to throw myself off a bridge," he declared as he applied Annabeth's eyeliner.

"You keep telling yourself that, love," Rachel teased. "No non-stereotypical Gay would use Kurt Hummel as an example."

"Touche."

"Ladies, we have three hours till the dinner, meaning we have to be out of here in less than two hours! I see no dresses on anyone, and Ladybeth isn't even done with her makeup!" Piper screamed, frantically applying powder on her face before stopping abruptly. "Oh _gods_, what has Mom done to me!"

"This really isn't the time to have a life-changing revelation," Reyna chided, slipping into her minidress.

"More boobs, Rey-Rey," Thalia advised, moving her hands in an upward motion.

"Shove a clit in it, Grace."

Finally, it was time for Annabeth to put on her dress. Clarisse came up behind her, offering to zip it up.

"Never thought I'd see the day that Wise Girl _actually_ looked good in something," she said with an uncharacteristic grin.

"Thanks for coming, bitch."

"Wouldn't miss it for the world. I'm just hoping ol' salmon head trips on the stand."

Annabeth looked at all her gorgeous friends who were there for her. She couldn't imagine being in Ancient Greece, where that night would be her last time seeing all her girls.

"I love you guys," she said, eyes getting misty.

"Aww, we love you, too, Ladybeth," Hazel laughed, pulling her into a hug.

"Group hug!" Will screamed, dragging them all together. "But if I see any foundation on my suit, I'll kill you all right here."

While everyone finished their last-minute preparations, Calypso tapped Annabeth on the shoulder. She was pleasantly surprised that the nymph had elected to join as a maid of honor despite their rocky past, but she didn't expect any actual conversation with her.

"You look gorgeous," Calypso said sweetly, taking her hands.

Annabeth beamed, "Thank you. For the compliment _and_ for coming."

"Of course," she told her, the smile on her face suddenly fading. "I also must apologize... for the curse-"

"Please, don't. You have nothing to apologize for. I just- I can't think about that right now."

Calypso nodded, giving Annabeth one last reassuring squeeze before heading away.

"Alright, ladies and Clarisse, we ready?" Piper asked, dangling the keys to her precious Brittney, also known as the white honda civic gifted to her by her father as a high school graduation gift nearly four years ago.

"Very funny, Beauty Queen," Clarisse scowled, marching out the door.

None of them really considered the fact that nine people would never fit in Piper's car until they reached the street.

"Okay, any ideas?" Reyna asked.

"I could call the Grey sisters," Annabeth suggested, which was met with multiple aggressive _NO!_s and Will's shoe.

"I have one that seems fitting for tonight's mood," Thalia announced with a sly grin on her face.

About half an hour later, making Annabeth late for her own wedding dinner, Argus pulled up in a Delphi Strawberry Service van, dressed in one of his nicest suits. She raised an eyebrow at Thalia who just shrugged,

"It's all about making that move from childhood to adulthood, what better way to dive into that nostalgia than in the back of that nasty van with your BFF Argus at the wheel?"

In some twisted way, Thalia's logic made sense. Despite a ride in the camp van being one of the most disgusting experiences of Annabeth's life, _including_ Tartarus, it brought back all of her best memories.

"Well then, let's get a move on, gals," Will said, hopping into the back.

Annabeth grinned at Argus, "Thank you for coming, Argus."

He just smiled, giving her a big hug. He'd watched her grow up, been there for her since she was seven. At last, she climbed into the van where she was forced to sit on Rachel's lap as Thalia claimed shotgun.

"It's literally Annabeth's wedding!" Reyna scolded.

"Your point? She wouldn't even be alive without me. She owes me!"

It was annoying that Thalia was right.

Finally, an hour later, the girls arrived at Camp Half-Blood. Thankfully, no demigod excelled at being on time, so despite it being 8:30, people were just beginning to show up. The Dining Pavilion was decorated with grey decor, bulbs of light adorning the giant pillars as they did during the holiday season. Girls of all ages from all over camp were filing in, excited for a break in all the demigod training. It warmed Annabeth's heart to see so many young girls coming together for this dinner.

Still, something felt off. _Mom_. Although it was stupid of her, Annabeth had been hoping her mother would be present. But that was foolish of her. Not only was she a god, but they'd never properly reconciled after the events that led to her falling into Tartarus. She was also marrying the son of Poseidon, Athena's sworn enemy. Calypso glanced at her worriedly,

"You okay?"

Annabeth hadn't realized she was making a face. She shook her head,

"Yeah, I'm fine," she managed a smile. "Just a little overwhelmed."

"Don't be. All these girls are here to celebrate _you_. You're an inspiration to them all!"

That didn't make her feel any better. How could she be an inspiration? She had no idea what she was doing most of the time. Her survival up until that point was sheer luck. As if on cue, a young camper, probably 11, came running up to Annabeth.

"You look so pretty," she said, eyes wide.

Annabeth knelt down, "Not as pretty as you. What's your name?"

"May, Daughter of Hermes!"

_May. Hermes_.

"Well, it was awesome to meet you, May!" she said, taking her hand. "You ready to eat?"

"Heck yeah!"

Annabeth led her to the pavilion where everyone was waiting. Everyone cheered as she took a seat at the Athena table with May and all her friends.

Katie Gardner came over, throwing her arms around Annabeth and Will, "You _both_ look gorgeous. Except the smudge of highlighter on your back, Will."

He shrieked, eyes landing on Piper who was the only person of their group who elected to wear highlighter. Katie smirked, mouthing,

"There's nothing there."

Annabeth laughed silently as Will chewed out Piper, who insisted that there was nothing on his back. Being Piper, she was not surprised that Will didn't believe her. It was all so amazing to see everyone having fun, finally at peace. Even though Athena wasn't there, Annabeth almost could imagine that it was a normal toned-down bachelorette party.

After about an hour of feasting, Piper stood up with the paper listing specific rituals in her raised hand.

"Alright ladies, listen up! According to Wikipedia, Annabeth is supposed to burn up her childhood toys and a lock of her hair for Artemis. Now, since Annabeth is a crackhead-"

Rachel loudly cleared her throat, sending pointed looks at all the younger campers.

"-I mean, crazy person, she has no toys. So instead, we're burning up some of her old camp outfits and a pair of really ugly Chacos sandals!"

Everyone cheered as Annabeth stood up. Miranda Gardiner passed her a box that contained the small shirts, shorts, and shoes. She sighed, remembering all the adventures she shared with Percy in that outfit. It really was the end of her childhood.

Thank you, Mom. And Lady Artemis. Maybe Aphrodite.

She dumped the box into the flames burning inside the brazier. Although the smell of burning material should've made her gag, instead she smelled everything that reminded her of her childhood, from the scent of pine scavaging the woods with Luke and Thalia to chocolate chip cookies shared with Percy in his and Sally's apartment. Annabeth wanted nothing more than to cry as this was the first time she thought about her childhood in a positive light. The thousands of battles with monsters and her father suddenly meant nothing. She would give anything to be back at 16, in Luke, Percy, Grover, and Thalia's arms, just enjoying Camp Half-Blood in peace.

But that was nothing more than a fantasy.

Annabeth wiped away the few escaped tears, allowing all her friends to embrace her.

"It's alright, Ladybeth," Hazel soothed. "Give us a smile."

She laughed, waving them off, "Just being a crybaby. Percy's really rubbing off on me."

The crowd chuckled, shouting out reassurances.

May stepped forward, a pair of scissors in hand. She frowned at Annabeth as if asking for permission.

"I definitely trust you more than Piper."

May giggled as Annabeth bent down and grabbed a lock of her hair. Once it was cut, it took her a few moments to drop it into the fire. That was the moment. That was the transition. She would no longer be a child. Annabeth Chase was getting married.

"Oh, Lady Artemis," she prayed quietly. "Accept my hair. I hope you don't find this weird. Please just make this easier."

She dropped the lock of hair into the fire, resulting in cheers from all around the pavilion. It was complete.

"Wait!" Piper screamed, holding up the paper once more. "There's one more thing Annabeth is supposed to put in the fire! Completely unrelated, but what's a girdle?"

"It's like spandex but for religious people!" someone in the crowd shouted.

Annabeth frowned, "I don't have that, Pipes."

"Just drop your bra in or something."

She scoffed, suddenly very protective of her breast area, "Absolutely not!"

"Oh, come on, Wise Girl," Clarisse encouraged. "We're all girls here. Plus, I know for a _fact_ you can take that thing off without a single nip slip."

"And how would you know that?" Reyna asked, genuinely interested.

"Well, I happened to be with Percy the day after their first-"

"Not the point!" Annabeth interrupted, her face red. "I'll do it. Just stop talking."

In less than a minute she had her bra off and threw it into the brazier. Suddenly, the flames glowed a brilliant silver. She couldn't explain it, but Annabeth knew her mother was there. She would help her through this passage.

"Thank you, Mom," she whispered.

There was no response, but she swore the fire grew a little bit higher after she said it.

"Now," Piper said deviously. "We party!"

For the rest of the evening until the arrival of the cleaning harpies, all the girls at camp partied their hearts out. Unfortunately for Piper and Thalia, drinks were not allowed, but they managed. Annabeth just couldn't believe that less than 24 hours from that moment, she would be married.

It was surreal. But it was one of the best nights of her life.

"A lot on your mind?" Thalia asked, setting herself down beside Annabeth.

She had decided to spend the night at Camp Half-Blood in the Zeus cabin with Thalia. It was weird, knowing that Thalia was supposed to be almost 30 but still in the body of a girl half that age. Still, she was right. There _was_ a lot on her mind. But not about the wedding; it was about the pictures that remained up on the wall by her friend's little alcove.

Annabeth placed her finger on the picture of Luke, "There are so many people I wanted to be here. So many that weren't as lucky as us."

"I miss him," Thalia sighed shakily.

She sounded dangerously close to crying.

"It's not just him. I remember talking to Silena," Annabeth laughed tearfully. "She said she had our whole wedding planned since we were 13. She made me swear that if the day came, she would be in charge of everything."

Thalia chuckled, "Sounds totally like something she would do. Maybe she's embodying Piper right now. I know Zoë would want to be here, just as proof that Percy _actually_ could get married."

"Who would've thought."

They laughed together, but it quickly died down. Annabeth knew what Thalia was thinking about. She was thinking about the exact same thing.

"Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like if he hadn't gone bad," she said quietly.

Thalia nodded, allowing a few tears to finally escape her eyes, "He made his decision. In the end, he did the right thing. Who knows, if he tried for rebirth, maybe he's one of the campers right now."

"May!" Annabeth said, sitting up. "It has to be May!"

"The kid who came up to you?"

"Yes! She was a daughter of Hermes _and_ had the same name as his mom!"

"I don't know, Annabeth," Thalia said hesitantly. "It might just be a coincidence. We don't even know if he made it to Elysium or not. Yeah, he made the right decision in the end but he still caused a lot of shit. He'd be lucky to even make it into the Fields of Asphodel."

"You're probably right," she said, defeated.

The thought of Luke wandering around like one of those soulless ghosts was enough to make her burst into tears. Gods, she missed him so much. And it wasn't often that she was given the opportunity to talk about Luke so openly. Despite Percy urging her to talk to him, she didn't feel comfortable. Annabeth preferred to keep Luke World and Percy World completely separate.

Thalia pulled her into her embrace, "Forget what I said, Ladybeth. Don't you cry because then I'll cry and I can't show weakness."

"You were already crying," Annabeth sniffled.

In response, Thalia threw a pillow at her face. Somehow, that made her feel a little better. But her friend still looked agitated.

"What's wrong, Pinecone Face?"

She laughed at the nickname, but it was half-hearted.

"I just had a real fucked-up dream last night about Jason. He got stabbed in a cave. Very bloody. Not really the best way to start off a celebration."

"Gods, Thalia, I'm so sorry," Annabeth said, grabbing her friend's hands.

"I'm just hoping it's nothing. Just a normal person fear dream instead of a demigod prediction dream, you know."

"I get it. It'll be okay, he's out with Percy right now far far away from a cave."

Thalia laughed, "Him with Percy definitely does not mean safety, but you're right. Probably just some bullshit trying to ruin the next few days for me."

"Well, don't let it. Because I'm almost certain that Percy is gonna trip on the stand tomorrow and you're _not_ gonna wanna miss it."

And they spent the rest of the night reminiscing on all the good times.

Annabeth thanked all the gods that Thalia wasn't a tree. Who else would tell her that marriage was a complete waste of time and that she should join the Hunters because Immortality! A Silver Glow! Eternal Blessings from the Goddess Artemis! Badass Parkas! Cute Wolves!

All the night before her wedding.


End file.
